Introduction
The FlightAware Pro Stick Plus is R820T2 based USB Software Defined Radio, with integrated 19dB low noise amplifier and 1090MHz filter, in a compact durable plastic casing. The receiver features an SMA female antenna port and low power draw making it an ideal choice for single board computers.
Features
- Chip: R820T2
- Amplifier: 19dB with 0.4dB noise figure and OIP3 +39dB
- TCXO: 0.5 ppm
- Filter: 1,075 MHz to 1,105 MHz pass band with insertion loss of 2.3 dB; 30 dB attenuation on other frequencies
- Power Draw: 300 mA
- Weight: 17 g / 0.6 oz
- Dimensions: 95 mm x 32 mm x 13 mm
- Antenna Port: SMA female
Performance
The FlightAware Pro Stick Plus performed very well in our testing, in both urban and rural locations when provided with a clear sky. We should note the standard lower cost FlightAware Pro Stick performed marginally better in our rural location test likely while we found this Plus model performed better in our urban environment. This is likely due to this Plus model taking a 2.3 dB insertion loss owing to the built in filter which was serving little benefit in the rural location. Testing at either location was not performed in the immediate vicinity of high powered radio transmitters which possibly didn’t play to this receivers full strengths – the improvements over the non-filtered model may be greater with increased radio interference.
Value
We tested the FlightAware Pro Stick Plus at £49. We feel this offers an excellent price to performance point should you benefit from the additional built in filter.
Compatibility
The FlightAware Pro Stick Plus is fully plug and play compatible with Flyt Node hardware and no additional setup or configuration is required.
Summary
The FlightAware Pro Stick Plus is an excellent choice for use with your Flyt Node, benefiting from it’s integrated amplifier and the excellent R820T2 chip. The built in filter will ensure any unwanted noise is filtered out with 30dB attenuation, but as per our testing, your mileage will vary depending on your setup location owing to the incurred 2.3dB insertion loss. If you are in a low noise area, we suggest looking at the FlightAware Pro Stick as an alternative, featuring the same hardware without the filter, providing a slightly stronger, if not noisier signal. If you are in an urban environment or don’t have the means of checking localised background noise, the FlightAware Pro Stick Plus is an excellent choice which will not disappoint.